This invention relates to a lubricating oil composition having improved friction reducing properties and to a method for reducing friction in internal combustion engines. More particularly, this invention is directed to a lubricating oil composition containing selected hydroxyamide compounds as friction reducing additives and to a method of reducing friction in an internal combustion engine by using a lubricating oil which contains said hydroxyamide compounds.
There has been considerable effort in recent years to improve the fuel economy of automotive engines which operate on petroleum fuel, a product which like other forms of energy has become relatively expensive. Some of the known ways to improve fuel economy has been of a mechanical or design nature, such as building smaller cars and engines. Since it is known that high engine friction causes significant energy loss, another way to improve fuel economy of automotive engines is to reduce such friction.
Major efforts to reduce friction in automotive engines have involved the lubricating oils used in such engines. One approach has been to use synthetic ester base oils which are generally expensive. Another approach has been to use additives to improve the friction properties of the lubricating oil. Among the friction reducing additives which have been used are a number of molybdenum compounds including insoluble molybdenum sulfides and several organo molybdenum complexes, e.g. molybdenum amine complexes disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,473, molybdenum thio-bis-phenol complexes disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,192,753, 4,201,683, and 4,248,720, molybdenum oxazoline complexes disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,074 and molybdenum lactone oxazoline complexes disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,176,073.
Another group of friction reducing additives which have been used in lubricating oils are the carboxylic acid esters. These compounds include the esters of fatty acid dimers and glycols as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,105,571, the esters of monocarboxylic acids and glycerol as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,678, the ester of dimer acids and monohydric alcohol disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,167,486, the esters of glycerol and monocarboxylic fatty acids as disclosed in U.K. Pat. Nos. 2,038,355 and 2,038,356, and esters of monocarboxylic fatty acids and polyhydric alcohols disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,659.
Other friction reducing additives employed in lubricating compositions include nitrogen-containing products of phosphosulfurized esters disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,484 and boric acid salts or borate esters of hydroxyalkyl imidazolines shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,486.
While the different approaches and additives all generally provide some reduced engine friction and consequently improved fuel economy, there is still the need for additional additives and compositions which provide the necessary and desired friction reduction, and are also economical, readily available, and most important, are compatible with commonly used lubricating base oils and the many conventional additives used in lubricating oil compositions.